Voice of the Voiceless Calls on Gay California Senator to Listen to Former Homosexuals!

Voice of the Voiceless Calls on Gay California Senator to Listen to Former Homosexuals!Ex-Gays Call for Assembly Member Low to Listen, StopDiscriminating Against Formers in His Own Community

Washington, D.C. — Last Friday (August 31, 2018), gay-identified California Assembly Member Evan Low withdrew AB 2943 from consideration on the last day of the California legislature. The bill, which would have defined all attempts to help clients reduce or eliminate unwanted same-sex attractions or gender identity conflicts (through paid counseling — whether licensed or unlicensed) as “consumer fraud.” The bill had previously sailed through the Senate easily on party lines, and was expected to also pass the Assembly. But Low decided to halt the bill from moving forward so he could reach a broader consensus, citing “productive conversations” he held from members of the faith community.

Low said:

“I was heartened by the conversations. A number of religious leaders denounced conversion therapy and recognized how harmful the practice is . . . I left those productive conversations feeling hopeful. I believe every person who attended these meetings left with a greater understanding for the underlying reason and intention of this bill to create a loving and inclusive environment for all. However, I believe there is still more to learn . . . The best policy is not made in a vacuum and in order to advance the strongest piece of legislation, the bill requires additional time to allow for an inclusive process not hampered by legislative deadlines.”

However, what remains to be shared by Low is who those meetings were with, and if he is also willing to listen to the dozens of former homosexuals that testified in Sacramento that his bill would have discriminated against and denied their existence. Voice of the Voiceless President Daren Mehl reacted:

“I don’t see any evidence of Low traveling up and down the state. Could he please elaborate? Please publish your agenda, the locations, and the people you met with. Why didn’t you post any of these meetings or summaries of the discussions you had on social media? Which faith leaders? Ones that were opposing or supporting the bill? Were you driving around to gather support, or to work across the aisle? I see no evidence of the latter. Low says he was “heartened by the conversations he heard in these meetings” because it ensured that those people he spoke with understood all the “trauma he went through as a child, and the personal reasons why he was pushing this bill.” So in essence, his meetings were not to listen but to sell members of the faith community on how the intention of the bill is to create an inclusive LGBT community as the defacto, only answer to anyone who questions their sexuality. But that’s not inclusive!

Mehl went onto describe how Low could really be more inclusive:

I’m not sure Low is in a place that he is willing to learn from our former homosexual community of Christians. The vacuum left by his pride is preventing an entire community from participating in conversations. For example, he has not mentioned once, anywhere, about the formers in the “once gay” community. Until all of our issues with this bill are addressed and the narrative around “conversion therapy” is cleaned up from being the straw-man it is, his efforts will always lead to a weak piece of legislation, one that strong arms people into his own LGBT community identity and lifestyle choices.

Mehl continued:

By stating the bill requires additional time, Low is committing to bring it right back instead of acknowledging that he simply ran out of time to jam this bill through. He was not expecting the organized and highly engaged church communities and ex-gay community to be so vocal and politically engaged. The evangelicals showed up and it proved too much for the Democrats that he didn’t want to run with it before mid-term elections. In fact, when the hundreds of former homosexuals and members of the faith community showed up in Sacramento to testify, staff at the Capitol remarked they had never seen so many people show up to oppose ANY issue. Low’s path towards “full equality” needs to also include former homosexuals and the rights of individuals with unwanted same-sex attractions and gender identity conflicts to receive the help they desire. Otherwise, his words are simply empty rhetoric.”

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Please e-mail us to interview Daren Mehl, former homosexual and President of Voice of the Voiceless. The mission of Voice of the Voiceless is to defend the rights of former homosexuals, individuals with unwanted same-sex attraction, and their families. We also support the faith-based community and work actively in the United States to defend the constitutional rights of all Americans to share their views of homosexuality in the public forum.